Segmental belting



P. J. JENKINS SEGMENTAL BELTING Feb.v 13,A 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Original Filed Aug. 26. 1964 III 15u/enfer' Peer Jon Jenjzs P. J.JENKINS SEGMENTAL BELTING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5

- INVENTOR PETER JOHN JENKINS TTORNEYS Feb. 13, 196s Original Filed Aug.26. 1964 FIG. 4

United States Patent Office 3,368,417 SEGMENTAL BELTING Peter John`Ienkins, Burscough, England, assignor to Dunlop Rubber Company Limited,London County, England, a British company Continuation of applicationSer. No. 392,237, Aug. 26, 1964. This application May 31, 1966, Ser. No.554,219 Claims priority application Great Britain, Sept. 12, 1963,35,914/ 63; Aug. 12, 1964, 32,816/ 64 21 Claims. (Cl. 74-237) Theportion of the term of the patent subsequent to Oct. 19, 1982, has beendisclaimed.

ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A segment member for segmental lbelting with areinforcement layer of fabric or steel having an extensibility of atleast 4 percent being disposed substantially parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the segment member and embedded in a flexiblematerial. The segment member has castellated ends with ferrules enclosedby substantially inextensible cords. The ends of the cords extend ashort distance into the segment member either inside or outside of thereinforcement layers.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 392,237,filed Aug. 26, 1964, now abandoned.

This invention relates to segment members for segmental belting and tosegmental belting comprising such segment members.

According to the present invention a segment member for segmentalbelting comprises a reinforcement (as hereinafter defined) embedded in aflexible material and has castellated ends comprising ferrules each ofwhich is enclosed by substantially inextensible cords the ends of whichextend a short distance into the segment member parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the segment member, the ferrules being arranged inaligned relationship transverse the segment member to receive a tie-bar.

By the term reinforcement as used in this specification there is meant areinforcement comprising one or more layers of a woven or non-woventextile fabric or of steel cords having an extensibility at break of atleast 4 percent, the warp yarns of the woven fabric, or the yarns of thenon-Woven textile fabric, or the steel-cords being disposedsubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the segment member.It is to be understood that in addition to the reinforcement layersdefined above, other layvers of non-woven textile fabrics or of steelcords may be incorporated into the reinforcement. For instance, when thereinforcement comprises textile cords or steel cords which are disposedparallel to the longitudinal axis of the segment member, then thereinforcement preferably also contains non-woven textile cords or steelcords which are disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of thesegment member. When the reinforcement comprises several layers ofnon-woven fabric or of steel cords, then it is preferred to have a layerof cords which are disposed at 90 with respect to the longitudinal axisof the segment member between adjacent reinforcement layers ashereinbefore defined.

According to the invention also, a segmental belt comprises one o`r moresegment members laccording to the immediately preceding paragraph, and atie-bar to connect adjacent segment ends, said segment member or membersbeing arranged so that the castellations on one segment end to beconnected are staggered with respect to the castellations on theadjacent segment end to be connected.

The ends of the substantially inextensible cords, such as steel cords,enclosing the ferrules extend a short distance into the segment memberparallel to the longitudinal axis of the segment member. Usually thereinforcement of the segment member comprises at least two reinforcementlayers, and in this case the ends of the substantially inextensiblecords enclosing the ferrules enclose or are enclosed b-y the ends of thereinforcement layers.

Preferably the ends of the cords enclosing the ferrules are enclosed bythe ends of the reinforcement layers, and in such a case the ends of thereinforcement layers may be provided with a chafer strip, The chaferstrip should preferably lbe of a material which can be easily bonded tothe flexible composition and the chafer strip should be easilypenetrated by the flexible composition. A suitable material for thechafer strip is an open-woven nylon fabric.

The reinforcement comprises one or more layers of woven or non-woventextile fabric or of steel cords having an extensibility at break of atleast-4 percent which are disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis ofthe segment member. In the case where the reinforcement consists ofwoven fabric, then the warp threads of the fabric are disposed parallelto the longitudinal axis of the segment member and are made of asubstantially inextensible material such as nylon. The weft threads ofthe woven fabric are disposed at to the warp threads. The weft threadsmay also be of nylon or they may be of any other textile material. Aparticularly useful weft thread comprises nylon yarns and cotton yarnsdoubled together and in this case the cotton assists in bonding thefabric to the flexible material in which the reinforcement is embedded.In the Icase where the reinforcement comprises non-woven fabric, thenthe cords are disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the segmentmember, and these cords can be made of a textile material such as nylonbut are preferably made of steel and have an extensibility at break ofat least 4 percent. Steel cords having an extensibility at break of 4percent or more can be produced by overtwisting the cords during theirmanufacture. A particularly suitable cord is one having a constructionin which the strand twist and the cable twist is the same, and steelcords having this construction usually have an elongation at break offrom 8 percent to l2 percent. The ferrules, which are enclosed bysubstantially inextensible cords, such as steel cords or textile cords,which preferably have an extensibility at break of less than 4 percentto form the castellations preferably have external flanges at each end,and the substantially inextensible cords, which are arranged in side byside relationship and disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of thesegment member, enclose the ferrule between the flanges. In this manner,inadvertent transverse movement of the ferrules is prevented, Theferrule should be made of a rigid material and can be a metal ferrulesuch as a stainless steel ferrule or 4can be made of a rigid polymer.

The substantially inextensiblecords, such as steel cords, enclosing eachferrule should preferably be stronger than the substantiallyinextensible cords forming the reinforcement layers so that whenadjacent segment ends are connected, the joint produced will have astrength at least equal t0 the strength of the segment member.

The substantially inextensible cords enclosing each ferrule are embeddedin the flexible composition which width equal to the length of theferrule so that the edges of the insert enclose the flanges at each endof the ferrule and in this way the substantially inextensible cordsenclosing the ferrule are protected. The U-shaped insert should be ofrigid material and metal inserts, such as stainless steel inserts, arepreferred, although inserts made of rigid polymers can be used.

The ferrules are arranged in aligned relationship transverse the segmentmember so that a tie-bar may be inserted through the ferrules. Theferrules should preferably be of equal length, and in such a case thegap between the ends of adjacent ferrules, i.e. the gap between adjacentcastellations, is of a width slightly greater than the length of aferrule so that the castellations on one segment end to be connected canfit within the gaps between the castellations on the other segment endto be connected.

The castellations on the ends of the segment member or members are ofsubstantially the same length, which length is such that when adjacentsegment ends are connected the ferrules on one end are in alignedrelationship with the ferrules on the other end, so that a tie-bar maybe inserted through the ferrules to connect said segment ends.

The tie-bar is preferably made of metal, and a suitable tie-bar is onemade of cabled die-formed steel wires.

The invention will now be illustrated by way of example only withreference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a plan view of a segment end with various components cutaway to show the construction in detail.

FIGURE 2 shows a section through a segment end taken along the lineA--A' of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 shows a section through a castellation illustrating analternative construction to that shown in FIG- URES l and 2.

FIGURE 4 shows a sectional view of an alternative embodiment with theinextensible cords outside the reinforcement layers.

FIGURE 5 shows a plan view of two castellated ends interconnected by atie-bar; and

FIGURE 6 shows alternate materials used for the ferrules andreinforcement.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, a segment member 1 has a reinforcementconsisting of two reinforcement layers 2 and 3 of rubber-coated steelcords 4, the cords in each layer 2 and 3 being arranged in side by siderelation and disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the segmentmember 1. The ends 5 and 6 of the steel cords 4 enclose the ends 7 of astrip 8 of rubber-coated steel cords 9 which enclose a stainless steelferrule 10. The stainless steel ferrule 10 is provided with externalflanges 11 and the steel cords 9 enclose the ferrule 10 between theflanges 11. A steel wire staple 12 holds together the ends of the strip8 of cords 9 which are disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of thesegment member. The purpose of the steel wire staple 12 is to hold thecords 9 around the ferrule 10 during manufacture of the segment member.The reinforcement and the castellations 13 have a covering of avulcanised rubber composition 14 which forms the working surfaces of thesegment member.

A belt comprises one or more segment members constructed as shown inFIGURES l and 2, adjacent ends of the segment member or members beingconnected by means of a cabled, die-formed steel tie-bar. Adjacentsegment ends are arranged so that the castellations on one end to beconnected are staggered with respect to, and fit within the gapsbetween, the castellations on the other end to be connected.

In manufacturing a segment member as shown in FIG- URES l and 2, astainless steel ferrule 10 having external flanges 11 is enclosedbetween the flanges 11 by a strip 8 of rubber-coated steel cords 9 (4ends of 21 X 0.0058" steel wire arranged in side bv side relationshipand cold calendered with a natural-rubber/cobalt linoleate compound). Asteel Wire staple 12 is looped around the strip 8 of cords 9 to hold thecords 9 around the ferrule 10.

A number of such assemblies is made.

Two reinforcement layers 2 and 3 of rubber-coated steel cords 4 (9 x0.0058" zinc-plated steel wire, the cords being arranged in side by siderelationship and cold calendered with a natural-rubber/ cobalt linoleatecomposition) in which the cords are disposed parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the layer are laid one upon the other. The ends 7of the strip 8 lof rubber-coated steel cords 9 enclosing a ferrule areplaced between the ends 5 and 6 of the reinforcement layers 2 and 3 sothat the ferrule 10 and a short length of the cords 9 project from theend of the reinforcement, to form a castellation 13. This procedure isrepeated to produce a number of castellations extending from each end ofthe reinforcement, the castellations on one end being staggered withrespect to the castellations on the other end. The castellations 13 areof substantially the same length and the distance between castellationsis slightly greater than the length of a ferrule 10. The reinforcementlayers 2 and 3 are then pressed together.

The assembly, including the castellations, is covered with sheets of avulcanisable rubber composition 14 of width slightly greater than thewidth of the reinforcement layers 2 and 3, and the covered assembly ismoulded under heat and pressure to vulcanise the rubber composition 14,mould inserts being used to produce the gaps between castellations. Theassembly is moulded so as to produce shaped ends to the segment memberso that the thickness at the castellations is slightly greater than atthe centre of the segment member.

In manufacturing a segmental belt, one or more segment members areassembled end to end so that the castellations on one end to beconnected fit within the gaps between the castellations on the adjacentend to be connected, and a cabled die-formed steel tie-bar 20 isinserted through the aligned ferrules. The tie-bar preferably has alength equal to the width of the segment member.

FIGURE 3 of the accompanying drawings shows a section through acastellation 15 having a similar construction to the castellations 13shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. In the castellation 15 shown in FIGURE 3 a U-shaped metal insert 16 is provided to protect the steel cords 9 wherethese pass around the ferrule 10. The ends of the U-shaped insert 16extend a short distance into the segment member and the insert 116 isembedded in the flexible covering material 14. The width of the insert1.6 is substantially equal to the length of the ferrule 10 so that theedge of the insert 16 engage the external flanges 11 on the ferrule 10.

FIGURE 4 illustrates an embodiment wherein the substantiallyinextensible steel cords 9 enclosing the ferrules 10 are placed outsidethe reinforcement layers 2 and 3 as previously described. FIGURE 5illustrates the positioning of the steel tie-bar 20 in relation to thecastellations 13.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the use of alternate materials as previouslydescribed such as a woven fabric reiforcement layer 4a, a polymericferrule 10a with a woven inextensible cord 9a enclosing it and embeddedin a synthetic resin composition. The reference numersals are similar tothose previously used with the letter a subscript added.

Segmental belting constructed in accordance with the present inventionis advantageous in that the segment members forming the belting areeasily connected whilst the joint formed can have a strength at leastequal to the strength of the segment members. Thus the present inventionobviates the difficulty hitherto encountered that the joint formedbetween segment members has been weak and liable to failure. A furtheradvantage of the present invention is that if the joint fails due todamage to the tie-bar, a new tie-bar can be simply and economicallyinserted or if a segment is damaged a new segment can be insertedquickly without splicing. This is particularly so in the case ofconveyor belting where long delays in joint repairs results in a greatloss of transmitted material.

I claim:

1. A segment member for segmental belting comprising reinforcement meansembedded in a flexible plastic material and castellated portions, saidportions comprising ferrules each of which is enclosed by substantiallyinextensible cords, the ends of which extend a short distance into saidsegmental member parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, saidferrules being arranged in aligned relationship transverse to thesegment member for receiving a tie bar therein.

2. A segmental member according to claim 1 in which the reinforcementmeans comprises at least two reinforcement layers and in which the endsof the substantially inextensible cords enclosing the ferrules areenclosed by the ends of the reinforcement layers.

3. A segment member according to claim 1 in which the ends of theinextensible cords enclosing the ferrules enclose therein the ends of atleast one reinforcement layer.

4. A segment member according to claim 1 in which said reinforcementmeans comprises steel cords which are disposed substantially parallel tothe longitudinal axis of the segment member.

5. A segment member according to claim 1 in which said reinforcementmeans comprises a woven fabric in which the warp threads are disposedsubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the segment member.

6. A segment member according to claim 5 in which the warp threads aremade of a substantially inextensible material.

7. A segment member according to claim 1 wherein the substantiallyinextensible cords enclosing the ferrules are steel cords.

8. A segment member according to claim 1 in which the substantiallyinextensible cords enclosing the ferrules are textile cords.

9. A segment member according to claim 1 in which the cords enclosingthe ferrules are stronger than the cords forming the reinforcementmeans.

10. A segment member according to claim 1 wherein said ferrule is madeof metal.

11. A segment member according to claim 1 wherein said ferrule is madeof stainless steel.

12. A segment member according to claim 1 in which the ferrule comprisesa solid polymeric material.

13. A segment member according to claim 1 in which each ferrule isprovided at its ends with external anges.

14. A segment member according to claim 13 in which the substantiallyinextensible cords enclosing the ferrule engage the ferrule between theilanges.

15. A segment member according to claim 13 in which a U-shaped insert ofa width substantially equal to the length of the ferrule is interposedbetween the flexible covering material and the substantiallyinextensible cords enclosing the ferrule.

16. A segment member according to claim 1 in which the flexible materialis a natural rubber composition.

17. A segment member according to claim 1 in which the ilexible materialis a synthetic rubber composition.

18. A segment member according to claim 1 in which the flexible materialis a synthetic resin composition.

19. A segment member according to claim 18 in which the synthetic resincomposition is based on polyvinyl chloride.

20. A segment member according to claim 1 wherein the ends of thesegment member are shaped to produce a thickness at the castellated endswhich is slightly greater than the thickness at the center of thesegment member.

21. A segmental belt comprising a plurality of segment members eachaccording to claim 1 and a tie bar connecting adjacent segmental ends,said segmental members being arranged so that the castellated ends onone end are connected in staggered relationship with respect to thecastellated ends on the adjacent segmental ends.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,751,065 6/ 1956 Thomson.2,916,136 12/1959 Combs 74-235 X 3,144,930 8/1964 Michels 74-237 X3,212,627 10/1965 Beebee 74-237 X FRED C. MATTERN, JR., PrimaryExaminer.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner.

J. A. WONG, Assistant Examiner.

